Nathan – Free as a Bird

Belgian director Roel Nollet follows Nancy’s life with his camera for three years. Nancy is a 41-year-old Belgian woman, who has lead a painful and discomforting existence due to her sexual ambiguity, and now hopes to find peace and love, by getting rid of her womanly shell to reveal her true nature: that of a man.

After three years of painful and traumatic surgeries to adjust to a man’s features, Nancy, who has since then become Nathan, believes to have succeeded. He decides to permanently get rid of a body that still doesn’t belong to him. The days leading up to the euthanasia appear to be Nathan’s most peaceful ones.

In Belgium, Nathan’s home country, “sweet death” is permitted also in case of psychological pain. Neither friends nor family members or doctors can change Nathan’s mind. They can just be on his side as he drives to his final destination, heading toward finally feeling “free as a bird”.